Martin and Co Franchise

Despite the doom and gloom in the national press and broadcast media, many may think twice about starting a new business in the property sector at the present time. At least, that's the perceived wisdom in many quarters.

Yet while sales may be somewhat in the doldrums, it's a very different story in the lettings sector, which is currently very much on the up, amid long-term predictions that private rentals could be set to play an increasingly important structural role in the UK housing sector.

The appointment of Paul Newman as Funding Manager with Martin & Co could not have come at a better time. Having moved through the ranks with Lloyds TSB Paul has over 37 years experience with the bank, including the specialist sector of commercial banking.

As a Senior Business Manager he worked with thousands of small businesses and his role included the responsibility of reviewing and identifying the most successful business plans in order to secure appropriate bank funding.

With that age old saying - ‘Fail to plan, plan to fail' - Paul comments, "Over 45% of newly formed businesses will fail in the first three years due in part to lack of planning."

On his recent appointment with Martin & Co, "In these times of the ‘Credit Crunch' it is now a critical factor to build a robust Business Plan at the outset not only to secure the correct funding but as a business tool to be revisited monthly. This in itself allows pro-activity and positive thoughts rather than reacting to things because they haven't quite worked out in the past."

Using his specialist knowledge of the commercial banking world, Paul will work with new Martin & Co franchisees to ensure the 5-year business year plan submitted to the bank is sufficiently robust enough to secure bank funding.

Ian Wilson Managing Director added, "We are on course to meet our target of 200 offices by the year 2010, however we need to be aware of current constraints within the financial markets and recognise Paul's recent appointment is a real asset to the head office team enabling the whole process of starting a new business with Martin & Co even smoother than before."